Magazine pencil



Jail. 6, 1953 s. B HARRIS MAGAZINE PENCIL Filed Jan. 16. 1950 INVENTOR Samuel B. Harris.

BY MWLW ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 6, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Samuel B. Harris, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Application January 16, 1950, Serial No. 138,814

1 Claim.

The present invention is an improvement in magazine pencils and is a continuation in part of my prior co-pending application Serial No. 113,071, filed August 30, 1949, for magazine pencils now Patent 2,561,509.

' It is an object of this invention to reduce the number of parts required for selection of the lead from'the lead magazine of the pencil to a minimum.

Another object is to combine the lead magazine and pencil barrel as a unit and mount the lead carrier or pick clutch rotatably and axially off center with respect to the bore of the barrel, so as to be turnable by a rotatable selector cap at the top of the pencil.

A further more specific object is to provide an improved latch arrangement for holding a lead selected position of the selector cap and lead pick-up clutch.

The above and further objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear from the following'detailed description thereof, in which one embodiment is described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawmgs.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross section view of my invention with part of the barrel rod cut away to conserve space.

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is aside elevation of the slot, lug and cap parts of my invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clutch, its shaft with a slight bend for its connection to the slidable lug as it appears removed from the pencil barrel.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the spring and wedge-shaped latch for the star wheel carried by the cap. v

Figure 6 is a cross section view taken on the line 6-6 across the barrel and lead magazine.

Referring to the drawings, and first with particular reference to Figure 1, there is shown an assembled pencil comprising a hollow barrel Ill having a tip II and an open butt end I2. The tip end of the barrel is formed with a plurality clutch fingers l3. Mounted over the tip II is a conical sleeve I4. This sleeve I4 is formed with an outer knurled portion I5 at its enlarged open end around the outer bore thereof. Each divided base of each of the clutch fingers I3 is formed with blisters or small humps I6. These coact with the interior surfaces of indentations I1 formed in the internal bore at the base of the conical sleeve I4 to compress the free ends of the fingers I3 into gripping engagement with a piece of lead when projecting in writing position from the tip of the sleeve Id. The turning of the sleeve IA thus serves to contractor squeeze together the clutch fingers I3 formed in the tip portionof the barrel I0 for the purpose of gripping lead which has been projected to writing position, by the lead carrier or pick-up clutch to be hereinafter described.

The barrel I0 may be made of any suitable material, such as synthetic plastic resin compounds and is preferably either transparent or translucent to add to the attractive appearance of the pencil. The transparent barrel has an additional advantage in that this facilitates location of the leads and several parts of the pencil in case of possible misuse or breakage.

The barrel I0 is formed longitudinally with an elongated slot I8 from the butt end I2. The purpose of the slot I8 is to receive a portion of a member, such as a specially shaped and proportioned lug I9. The body of the lug I9 extends transverse the barrel and is formed with an index head I9, which head is exterior of the barrel and a part of a reduced or neck portion I9 see Fig. 4.

The neck portion I9 is bounded on each side by the Walls of the slot I8 and continues to a pair of shoulders l9 and I9 positioned just within the bore of the barrel I0. Thu the lug I9 is slidably supported in the barrel on each side of the slot I8 and extends toward a diametrically opposite interior side. This end of the lug I9 is hereinafter termsd the cam end le The lug I9 is formed with an opening extending in a direction substantially parallel with the slot l8. This opening is centered with respect to the barrel bore to serve as the pivot point for the clutch shaft 20 with the non-axially centered clutch 2 I. Through this opening extends the tail end of the elongated shaft 20. This shaft is journalled in friction bearings 22 and 23 mounted on each side of the lug I9 and from the bearing toward the pencil point the shaft 20 is slightly bent to thereby non-axially center a lead pick-up clutch M for proper keying with the radially arranged lead channels. The shaft 20 at the other end is formed with an inverted split conical head. Obviously, as the shaft 29 is non-axially positioned with respect to the axis of the interior of the pencil barrel, the clutch 2| is likewise thus positioned and when revolved will follow circular path over the several lead channels hereinafter I described.

The halves of the conical head 24 are of spring material normally biased apart by the inherent spring-like qualities of the material. Mounted over the rim of the open b-utt end |2 of the barrel I is a lead selector cap 21, see Figs. 1 and 3, formed flat on the exterior face or top portion and with a countersunk star wheel 28, which may have eight points, on its interior face or bottom portion, see Figs. 1 and 3. An annular land 29 surrounds the base of the star wheel 28, which in turn is surrounded by an annular groove 30 into which fits the rim of the butt end l2, so that the exterior annular flange 3| of the cap 21 encircles the upper cylindrical part of the barrel l0 and serves as a bearing sleeve to permit rotation of the cap 21 on the barrel.

The barrel ID has fixed within it a lead mag-a zine 33 with a plurality of radially arranged lead holding channels, one for each notch in the star wheel 28, see Fig. 6.

The center of the star wheel 28 is formed with aconical socket 32 into which snap fits the inverted conical head 24 when the lug I9 is moved tothe top of slot l8 toward the cap 21. This snap connection between the head 24 and the socket 32 when coupled provides for rotation of the: clutch shaft upon rotation of the cap 21 with the star wheel 28. Turning the cap 27 and the pointer of the cap to any one of the numbers to '8 in the barrel results in positioning the clutch 2| over one of the lead channels for selection of a particular lead in the lead magazine.

As previously stated, the lug I9 is 'slidable in the slot |B and non-axially centers the clutch endv of' the clutch shaft- 28, 'while the upper end is rotatable in the lug opening in the friction bearings 22 and 23. These bearings are secured on each side of the lug l9 at the shaft opening and serve to prevent longitudinal displacement of the shaft 29- with respect to the lug body as it is moved longitudinally in slot l8 and causes the shaft 20 to follow the longitudinal movement of the lug |9 when the head 24 becomes disconnected from the cap 21, which cap becomes instantly looked upon such disconnection by a latch now to be described. Also when the shaft 25 disconnected from the cap it is held against rotation by the frictional resistance of bearings 22 and 23.

On the inside of the barrel IE] is a flat leaf spring 34 with the base end thereof secured by rivets 35 to the barrel wall. The other end of the spring is free and formed with a dog or an enlarged wedge-shaped catch 31 adapted to interfit between the notches of each star point on the star wheel 28. This spring is bowed to strongly bias it to latching action until released by lug I 9. Release by lug |9 permits rotation of the-cap 21 with respect to barrel 0. The pointer 21 on the cap 21 is for the purpose of pointing to alead number on the barrel butt end l2, to thereby select an individual lead in the lead magazine 33 as'the cap 21 is turned. The non-axially positioned clutch 2| when its shaft 2|] is disconnected from the cap 2'5 is frictionally'held against further rotation by friction bearings 22: and 23 andwhen moved forward with the lug l9 will pick: up a selected head in the barrel carried lead magazine and carry it on to writing position in the barrel tip I I.

The spring 34 extends between the interior side of the barrel Ii] and the cam end l9 of the lu I9. Therefore when the lug I9 is uppermost in slot 18 and the split head 24 on the end of shaft 20 is in the star wheel socket 32, the dog or wedgeshaped catch 3'! is held out of engagement with the star wheel 28 as shown in Fig. 1. This permits the cap 21 to be rotated for lead selection by positioning pointer 2! on the cap 21 opposite a lead channel number.

After selection of the lead by its indicating number start of movement of the lug l9 down the slot l3 disconnects the clutch shaft from socket 32 and promptly removes the pressure of the cam end I9 from the fiat spring 34 and the dog or wedge catch 3'! is spring biased into a notch of the star wheel 28 corresponding to the selected lead number and corresponding lead channel and locks the cap 21, the non-axial section of shaft 20 and the clutch 2| being fricti-onally held against rotation from the lead selected position by the frictional resistance of the friction bearings 22 and 23 of lug I9.

The remaining parts of this device comprise a ring 33 formed with inner projections 39. The ring is-fixed in the barrel I0 between the lug l9 and the top ofthe lead magazine 33 likewise fixed in the'barrel. 'These projections 39' overlap the lead chambers 49 and their respective lead holding spring liners 4|. These projections 39 serve to spread apart the jaws of the aligned clutch 2| on the forward movement thereof toward one of the lead magazine channels, see Fig. 6, while on lead return or retracting movement of the clutch these projections serve to rake out the lead from between. the jaws. Also, the clutch 2| after being turned in lead channel alignment and on forward movement into. one of the radiallyiarranged lead channels will spreadlapart its spring liner and pick up the lead selected.

Thus there is provided a magazine pencil structure. comprised of very few parts, whereby economy in manufacture and durability of the manufactured products are paramount. All that is necessary to operate the pencil is to turn the cap 21 with the clutch shaft coupled to the star wheel socket so as to swing the non-axially centered clutch over the lead magazine fixed therein, until the cap pointer 21 is opposite or adjacent a selected lead number to align the clutch with a selected lead channel. Then movement of the lug I9 down the slot l8 disconnects the star wheel from the clutch shaft and releases the spring 34 to spring bias the dog or wedge 37 into a star wheel notch for locking the wheel to a selected lead number, while the frictional resistance of bearings 22 and 23'hold the clutch in set position.

Continued forward movement of the lug l3 causes the clutch 2| due to its slight non-axial position in the pencil barrel and alignment with the selected channel to pick up the lead from its aligned channel and carry on to writing position in the tip The lead is then held in writing position by the adjustment of the conical sleeve M, which compresses the fingers l3 into lead gripping action.

Without further description it is thought that others skilled in this art should be able to clearly understand the same; and it is to be expressly understood that various changes in the arrangement and combination of the parts illustrated, as will now be apparent to others, are intended to be a part hereof. To determine the scope of the invention reference should be had to the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A magazine lead pencil having a hollow barrel formed with a writing tip and an open butt end, a lead magazine formed with radial lead channels in the barrel, an elongated slot formed longitudinally in the wall of the barrel from the said butt end, a member slidably mounted in the barrel formed with an opening therethroughthe axis thereof being positioned parallel with respect to the axis of the barrel bore and extending substantially parallel to the axis of the slot, a shaft journalled in the said opening to rotate in the said member, said shaft at one end being non-axially centered with respect to the axis of the barrel bore, friction bearing means mounted on the said slidable member on each side of the opening preventing longitudinal movement of the shaft with respect to the said member so they move together along the barrel slot axis, a cam end on the slidable member inside the barrel, a lead gripping clutch non-axially mounted on the non-axially positioned end of the shaft, a quickly detachable joint coupling head on the opposite end of said shaft, a. cap rotatably mounted on the rim of said butt end adapted to couple with the said clutch shaft coupling head, a star wheel carried inside the cap, a socket formed at the axis of the star wheel into which said coupling head couples and is adapted to snap when the said member is moved upward in the slot toward the cap, and a, spring latch normally urged toward the star wheel to look and unlock the cap against rotation with respect to the barrel, said 6 slidable member with said cam end being movable to and from a position overlying and contacting the spring latch alternatively to cam the spring latch from the star wheel or to permit engagement between said latch and said wheel, thereby permitting rotation of the cap and the non-axially positioned end of the shaft with the non-axially centered lead gripping clutch for selective circular positioning of the said non-axially centered clutch in line with a radial lead channel in the lead magazine.

SAMUEL B. HARRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

